Dear Subscribers,

One question we sometimes hear posed is whether we are earthly creatures having occasional spiritual experiences or a spiritual beings having earthly experiences . . . or have we even considered that countless other possibilities might also exist. I won't pretend to have the answer, but of one thing, I am relatively certain and that is that what we perceive depends on the manner in which we perceive what we perceive. Thus, if we shift dimensions, we view that dimensionality and therefore see others as they appear in that dimension rather than as they appear to themselves when in the third dimension. If this sounds like someone tripping out, then perhaps the language that evolved in the 60s was necessary in order to explain the shift in reality experienced by the trippers, which, I remind you, did not include me. At the time, I was convinced that short cuts were risky but I am sure that appeared however it appeared to those who had other reasons for explaining their truths. By now, we ought to know that all truths are relative to the perceiver and it is utterly possible to be deluded . . . and it is possible to be so self-interested that oppression of competing ideas seems necessary. I am sure those who hunger for power are convinced of this which is why we need to observe really carefully lest we lose the right to our own thoughts and beliefs.

I set up a monumentally difficult task for myself when saying I would try to differentiate the soul and spirit. I really doubt there will be consensus because semantics, translations, interpretations of translations, etc., etc. will all come into play, but what is important is what we know from personal experience and observation, not books much less dogma.

The Soul

I believe the soul incarnates. It presides over conception, gestation, and birth and has a connection with the body that renders the body viable. If it departs from the body, the body will die . . . unless another soul replaces the one that is leaving. This seems to occur but infrequently. I.e., we should not make a fuss about it because it is not particularly relevant to the discussion unless one is so identified with the body that its continuity is of paramount importance. In theory, the purpose of the incarnation would change if a swap in control were to occur.

I believe the soul functions through the ajna center, sixth chakra, which is sometimes called the command center. This chakra is dual. It has a mystical side and an occult side. The mystical side is sensitive to impression and is usually artistic, poetic, musical, and/or inspired. It is also capable of sending and receiving messages that come in a sort of telepathic form.

Several of you have asked about tips for meditation. If you want to develop the right side of this chakra, you would meditate in a manner that enhances receptivity. You would try to quiet your own thoughts and leave your slate as clean as possible so that impressions would appear. Stillness, absence of opinion and intent, and surrender to guidance would allow this part of the chakra to function more accurately. This side should be Neptune-ruled but it seldom is.

The left side should be Uranus-ruled . . . but seldom is. It can receive impressions from the right side and organize them, but it can also explore on its own. In this case, the meditation involves very intense focus on the subject of inquiry; and if you are successful, you should actually be able to read the Akashic Records or find an answer to any question you ask, providing you can sustain the concentration until getting your answer. Some people are able to concentrate in this manner almost effortlessly because it is a habit for them. Ideally, neither side would dominate. The mystical and magical would work together to manifest from a level of inspiration.

The Realm of the Divine

In my opinion, the reason the Greeks and probably many others regarded all inspiration as divine is that when an artist or musician or philosopher or architect is working at this soul level, there is a feeling of divinity because the soul itself is the instrument of perception — and the perceptions are more rarefied than is typical of routine human activity.

Now, if I allow myself to editorialize, which I actually think is important, we can easily see that one of the conflicts that occurs between spirituality and materialism is that when a human is regarded as a laborer for someone of higher authority, there is rarely any attempt to recognize the essential divinity of life. When this concept is carried too far, it leads to the debacle currently faced in many countries. With Communism, there was a ruthless attempt to destroy everything "impractical" such as faith. This crushing force affected all denominations and all faiths. As we saw in the film on Tibetan Medicine, even the Buddhist monks of Mongolia were shot. The Chinese were just as brutal in Tibet: monasteries were destroyed; monks were tortured and murdered. This included one of my teachers, Nechung Rinpoche.

Telling a bit of his story would help us to understand why it is important to reclaim our inalienable rights because neither corporations nor the pawns they put into office have any interest at all in anyone's true reason for existence. People are useful if they work and useless if they are old, infirm, or non-productive. People are threats if they are independent and dare to question the authority of their masters.

Tibetan Government

Tibet makes an interesting case study. It is remote enough that most would not compare it to any country today. Tibet was a theocracy with a highly unusual system of government. The ostensible head of the government was the Dalai Lama. When a Dalai Lama died, he left hints that would help those left behind to locate his reincarnation. In most cases, the reincarnate Dalai Lama would be discovered as a small child and brought to Lhasa for training. In political terms, this meant that for all intents and purposes, Tibet was alternately ruled by a Dalai Lama and a regent who would surrender his sceptre when the reincarnated Dalai Lama matured to the point that he could govern. There were, of course, lots of people involved in governance, including an oracle. The oracle was a lay person who tranced at least once a year. He could be called upon to trance more often if the situation required insight from another level.

The oracle was always associated with Nechung Monastery, a small but highly elite monastery that specialized in medicine and astrology. I think you can see where this is going. Before the Chinese invasion of Tibet, the Chinese had invited Nechung Rinpoche to China. They treated him royally, not out of respect but rather in hopes that he would influence the oracle to convince the Dalai Lama to yield to China without a fuss. When Nechung Rinpoche failed to do the bidding of the Chinese, he was imprisoned. His treatment was brutal.

Nechung Rinpoche used to stay in my home, sometimes several days a week. Then, he would go back to the temple to teach on weekends. I would describe him as the perfect Oriental gentleman and an impeccable example of the monastic tradition. However, I was also aware of the magnitude of his suffering and sensed somehow that there was no way for him to complete his destiny given what he had endured. The fact is, he did not live a particularly long life, but I never heard him speak a single word against the Chinese. He only regretted that his own karma was not more perfect.

Extrapolations

There was a time in my life when I spent every free minute I had either reading about Tibet or spending time with Tibetans. Ignorant as I was about what really happened in Japan and China between the two World Wars, I know the history of Tibet extremely well, including the genocide. On one level, we could look at this as no different from Europeans massacring First Nation People. If someone covets what is not rightfully theirs, they may try to exonerate themselves by creating some myth around their superiority and the inferiority of others. Humans do this to other humans and they do it to animals. It is not very pretty when we actually see it happening.

In my opinion, the Chinese had no more claim to Tibet than the Spaniards had to the Americas. However, what is slightly different about the conquest of the Americas from the conquest of Tibet is that there was some sort of attempt to make it look like Christianity would actually save the souls of heathens whereas the Chinese made no pretense about saving any Tibetan souls, and I dare say, no Tibetan would have fallen for such inanity which, of course, makes me wonder whether any Aztecs or Incans were actually in a hurry to embrace the teachings of the Jesuits? Normally what happens at gunpoint is that a certain number of people save themselves and secretly try to keep their own cultures alive in whatever way they can. In the case of Tibet, most who sought to save the culture went into exile, including, of course, Nechung Rinpoche who escaped prison in the midst some confusion during new year's celebrations. He passed himself off as someone who lived on the border near Nepal and through this change of identity was put on a truck heading south. He spent five precious years planning that escape. If you think about this from the vantage point of an Oriental who is taught to revere wisdom, then five years of his incarnation were stolen . . . during which time he was not able to teach and pass on the vast knowledge that had been entrusted to him.

Conversions

Some weeks ago, I wrote about the Cathars as well as the conversos and moriscos. One of the most famous conversos was Nostradamus. Now, if you think about it, you have to ask exactly what his real beliefs were and how and why his understanding was transmitted. If we can answer that question, we will also be clearer about many other mysteries of our history because, as I keep saying, the one who prevails is the one who writes the history.

We keep thinking that there could never be another massacre, but are we delusional or insightful? Massacres are occurring constantly. Last night I read that 1.2 million Iraqis have been slaughtered, not because of 9/11, not because of weapons of mass destruction, and not because of Saddam Hussein. This massacre occurred because of lust for resources and the power associated with controlling vast resources.

As the power game is exposed, massacres also occur in less conspicuous ways: famine, vaccines, chemtrails, and countless other high risk activities that jeopardize life. So, I repeat: we need to be careful and not swallow the propaganda.

Inalienable Rights

Now, I want to come back to why it is crucial that we recognize that whether we are earthlings having spiritual experiences or spirits having earthly experiences, both experiences have been chosen for a purpose. What is perhaps even more vital is that these experiences have been chosen on a level that is inalienable. This means that no government or church or scientific dictatorship or corporate plutocracy has the right to change the destiny of any individual. Only the individual himself or herself has that right. In fact, it is possible that the right belongs to the soul, not the personality.

The moment we understand this, we can celebrate our spirituality without being pressured into conflict with views and interests that are divergent and/or incompatible with our essential being.

This is very important. I do not think that people who play the game of power politics or real world monopoly are prepared to allow people to be who they are. Their intent is to exploit. It is one thing to exploit financially, egregious but not usually fatal, but it is another thing to deceive, dupe, manipulate, assassinate, and annihilate. However, to the extent that these are strategies used by those in power, we can expect that they will try to block our understanding of our true essence through every means possible, including everything from indoctrination to fluoride and light pollution to very sophisticated use of advanced technologies and brute force. It matters how we chose to respond to these challenges.

From my side, I feel I have spent years preparing for this moment in time when the balance of power would shift from material views of existence (and power) to spiritual understanding of life and destiny. We now realize that we are actually designed to have awareness so interference with that awareness is possibly the highest insult to our Creator that could ever be imagined . . . and this offense has apparently been intentionally orchestrated. Moreover, anyone who invests time in a study of history will readily see that suppression of this knowledge has been ongoing for thousands of years.

Now, if we view this in the context of the Mayan Calendar or various prophecies about becoming interdimensional, we ought to realize that the real change begins in our own understanding of what and who we really are. Once we know this, awe and respect will inevitably follow. Once we have respect, violence will end. Once violence ends, the resources that have been used destructively will be available for reconstruction and sustainable living. When the fear of violence is replaced by a sense of security, people will feel comfortable expressing who they truly are. It does not mean that the industrial age will end and we all become agrarian nature worshippers, but it means that we ought all of us to be able to live comfortably without having to be so productive in order to survive.

In Sum

Finally, from my perspective, the soul is a projection of the spirit and for most people, the spirit is not exactly "incarnate". It oversees the individual and energizes the soul, but very seldom comes into direct expression in the third dimension. It can and does influence, but usually via the soul and only rarely by direct action on the pineal gland. The spirit itself is part of a larger group so on the level of spirit, we are connected not just to other humans but, at least in my own case, to many other species and races of beings, some of whom have never been to this planet. I am sure that the demographics of such groups differ widely so what appears to be true to me may not be true for others but I am certain that as we ascend to higher and higher levels, we will see that we are each part of larger and larger groups, groups with incredible diversity, beauty, grace, and purpose.

Many blessings,

Ingrid

Copyright by Ingrid Naiman 2012

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